The eggplant, or aubergine, (Solanum melongena L.) is a plant of the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and belongs to the genus Solanum. It is closely related to tomato and potato. The eggplant bears a fruit of the same name, commonly used in cooking. It is an important food crop, grown worldwide in all conditions and climates both in protected cultivation and in the open field. The stem is often spiny or pubescent. The leaves are hairy and sometimes the calyx shows some small spines. All the vegetative parts of an eggplant are more or less densely pubescent with stellate trichomes, the trichomes give a greyish or purplish-greenish appearance.
The surface of the various plant parts of the eggplant is covered with star-shaped trichomes with one vertical and two to eight horizontal arms.
Trichomes are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants. These can exist in diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. Plant trichomes have various functions, ranging from the inhibition of dehydration to being a mechanical barrier against small herbivorous animals and insects.
However, leaf trichomes do not only affect pest insects, but also the natural enemies of the pest insects. This may again affect the intensity of damage caused by pest insects. In theory, the effect of trichomes on the abundance and effectiveness of the pest and the natural enemies of the pest may be neutral, negative or positive. The effectiveness of both predators and pest insects can be affected because movement may be inhibited and search time could be prolonged by the presence of trichomes. It is a first object of the present invention to provide an eggplant that facilitates the natural enemies of pest insects.
Growing plants like eggplants, peppers and tomato requires a lot of manual labor. Handling plants involves grafting, planting, pruning, winding, and harvesting. Workers in the horticultural sector are not only exposed to inhalation of dust and pollen from plants, but also to skin contact with other plant parts and various kind of chemical compounds excreted by plants. In general, sensitivity to pollen, dust and other parts of plants is a growing problem in horticulture. It was found that also eggplant can cause such sensitivity reactions in people working with the plants.
Citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention.